Electric fire-arm



(No Model.)- F

J." K. G. GAVITT. ELECTRIC FIRE ARM.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Patented Deo. 8, 1885.

7 ilNirnn Smarts' PATENT @erica JAMES K. G. GAVYITT, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC FIRE-ARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 332,071, dated Decemberl 8,' 1885.

Application tiled December 9, 1884. Serial No. 149,898. (No'moilcl.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern,.- Y

Beit known that I, JAMES K. G. GAvITr, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain Improvements in FireArms, of which the lfollowing is a specification.

The main object of my invention is to construct a magazine firearm with improved electrical 4firing devices, as fully described and claimed hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown my invention as applied to a magazine'rearm in Which the cartridges are fed in from the rear of the `brecclrblock; but it will be understood that.I my improvements may be applied to other constructions of fire-arms without departing from my invention.

Figure 1.is a longitudinal section of my improved firearm. Fig. 2 is a plan view ofthe same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section at the breech, drawn to a larger scale. Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line 1 2, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line 3 4, Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a transverse section on the line 5 6, Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section on the line 7 8, Fig. 2. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the sliding breech-plate detached.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view, drawn to an enlarged scale, of the cartridge-cutting knife and firing-wire carried by the breech-plate. Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the rear of the breech-plate detached. Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the detachable breech. Fig. 12 is a perspective view ofthe circuit-closing trigger.

A is the barrel of the rifle; B, the frame of the breech, and Dthe stock. The frame of the breech is provided with a separable chamber, B', Fig. 1, adapted to be inserted and withdrawn from above, and held to its seat, Fig. 5, by a hinged cover, B2, having a spring-retaininglatch, b, Fig. 3. Behindthe breech isa vertically-sliding breech-plate, E, fitted in ways in the frame. When this block is depressed to its lowest position, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 7, it allows of a cartridge, F, being inserted from behind into the breech-chamber B over the top of the block, and when the latter is raised to the position shown in Fig. 2 it closes the chamber B over the end of the inserted cartridge, Figs. 3 and 7. 'The breechblock is controlled by a lever, G, hinged at g to the frame, and having a finger, g, adapted to engage with a hook, e, on the lower end of the breech-block E, Fig. 3, to draw the latter downward when the lever G is pulled outward upon its hinge until the plate E reaches the limit of its movement owing to the stops 90. The ngerg will then have become disengaged from the hook c, and the lever can continue its movement to complete the feeding operation, as hereinafter described. On returning the lever 'G to its closed position the breechblock will be pushed back to close the chamber, and the said lever, which also serves as a guard for the trigger H, may be provided with a suitable retainer, g2, Fig. 1,to keep it closed. i

In the drawings I have shown the cartridges F as contained ina continuous tube of paper Or other suitable iiexible material and passing into a conduit, I, formed in the stock of the gun. This conduit is of a size sufficient to allow of the free passage of the tube of cartridges, and having the entrance at one side ofthe stock near the butt, Fig. 2, while the termination of the conduit is immediately behind the breech frame, in line with the bore of the nre-arm. A short distance behind the said frame is a branch outlet, i, for the escape. of the covering tube F', which is severed longitudinally and sloughed olf the cartridges, as indicated in t-he drawings. These devices, however, together with the feeding mechanism, form no part of my present invention. It will therefore suce to say thatthe feeding mechanism may consist ot' a sliding plate, J, adapted to ways in the bottom of the front end ofthe cartridgeconduit, and carrying a series of spring disks or pawls, j, projecting upward and about the length of a cartridge apart, so that they will engage with the rear ends of the cartridges, as indi cated in Fig. 1. This sliding plateis connected by links k to the lever G, so that when the latter is turned on its pivot to draw the breech-block downward the feed-plate will be drawn forward toward the breech to push or pull forward the line of cartridges and introduce the front cartridge into the breech, while on the backward movement of the feed-plate the pawls will slip past the cartridges, and as the upper end of the breech-block is beveled it will push thepartly-introduced cartridge IOO into the breech-chamber. Retaining-pawls may be provided on the upper side ofthe cartridge-conduit i to prevent back movement of the cartridges when the feed-plate J is returned.

In order to sever the tubular envelope of cartridges, I prefer to provide acutter on the end of the sliding plate J; but this, as with all the feeding devices, formsno part of my present 1o invention, which relates more particularly to the means ofring the cartridges by electricity. For this purpose I mount the igniting `points or wire on the sliding breech-block, while the battery is suitably mounted in the z5 stock of the gun, as shown in Fig. 1, the chamber containing the battery being closed by a cap, n. When the battery is inserted in place, one of the poles is in electrical connection through a conductor, l, with the metallic breech, and so with the body of the sliding breech-block, while the other pole of the battery is in connection through an insulated conductor, 2, with an insulated contact-point, h,

on the trigger H. y

2 5 On the rear of the sliding breech-block E,

immediately opposite the contact on the trigger, (when the breech-block is closed,) is an insulated Contact, p', which is connected through an insulated conductor, 3, with an insulated plug, p, projecting beyond the front of the breechblock. To the latter, above the pro- `jecting portion of this plug p, is secured a nose, N, having its upper inclined edge a cutter, so that when a cartridge has been inserted in the breech-chamber, and the block E is pushed into place, the cutter N will cut into the end ofthe cartridge, as shown in Figs. 3 and 7, and the igniting-points or incandes- Ging-wirev p2 between the nose N and plug p, Fig. 9, will occupy a position in the midst of 4o the powder in the cartridge, and when the circuit is completed by pressing on the trigger N the powder will be ignited and the lire-arm discharged. It can then be instantly reloaded by simply pulling thelever G outward and clos-,i ingvit again, as will be readily understood fromy the foregoing description.

I claim as my inventionl. rlhe combination of the stock and breechchamber of a magazine'gun and an electric 5o battery carried thereby With a sliding breechblock carrying the igniting points or wire to come into contact with the explosive charge of each cartridge, anda circuit-closing trigger, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the stock and breechchamber of a magazine re-arrn and battery carried thereby with a circuit-closing trigger, and a sliding breech-block carrying on its face a cutter to make an incision in the end ofthe 6o cartridge, and having behind said cutter the igniting points or wire, substantially as described. I

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specitieation in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

` .I AMES K. G. GAVITT.l Witnesses:

JOHN M..CLAYT0N, HARRY SMITH. 

